Major Max: Homa shoots blistering 64 to put himself in contention at PGA Championship
Max Homa lines up a putt on the fifth hole during the second round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Friday, May 16, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Max Homa hits from the fairway on the fifth hole during the second round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Friday, May 16, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Max Homa hits from the fairway on the seventh hole during the second round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Friday, May 16, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Max Homa waves after making a putt on the sixth hole during the second round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Friday, May 16, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Max Homa waves after making a putt on the sixth hole during the second round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Friday, May 16, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Max Homa lines up a putt on the fifth hole during the second round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Friday, May 16, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Max Homa hits from the fairway on the fifth hole during the second round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Friday, May 16, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Max Homa hits from the fairway on the seventh hole during the second round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Friday, May 16, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Max Homa waves after making a putt on the sixth hole during the second round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Friday, May 16, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt York)
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Major Max is on the move again.
Max Homa has endured a trying season on the PGA Tour to say the least, but when it comes to the major championships, he's been on his game.
After missing the cut in his previous five tournaments, Homa somehow managed to pull it all together last month at the Masters to finish just outside of the top 10. On Friday, he climbed into contention at the midway point of the PGA Championship behind his best round ever at a major.
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Homa started on No. 10 and shot a blistering 6-under 30 on Quail Hollow's challenging back nine and finished with a 64, leaving him at 5 under for the tournament. It bested his previous low round at a major at the 2024 Masters by three shots.
'I mean, I was told for a long time I couldn't play a major," Homa said. 'So now all of a sudden I'm being asked about why I play well only in majors. I don't really have an answer for that one."
Then he shrugged and added, 'it's just golf, I guess.'
Entering the day, the 34-year-old Homa had not been among the top 10 on a major championship leaderboard following any of his last 15 rounds, including at Augusta.
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But he was dialed in on Friday.
Even his mishits were working out in his favor.
That was never more true than on the 347-yard par-4 14th hole when Homa carried the trees on the left side of the fairway off the tee and his ball bounced on the green and rolled to within two feet of the cup to set up a gimme eagle putt.
Homa figured he'd drove the green when he heard the cheers from the crowd, but didn't realize how close he was to recording an elusive albatross.
'That was one of the rare occasions in golf where as the further you walk up to the green, the closer it got,' Homa said.
When asked if it was among the best shots he's ever had, he shook his head no.
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'I was aiming one yard inside the right bunker, so I toed it like the perfect amount,' Homa said with a laugh. 'I looked up slightly scared of it going left, but obviously it was still a good drive. I mean, you don't hit it there intentionally unless you're Scottie (Scheffler) or something.'
Homa still has work to do this week, including trying to finish in the top four to avoid having to qualify for next month's U.S. Open at Oakmont.
But Homa seems to rise to the occasion when his back is against the wall. Last month, he needed to finish 12th or better at the Masters to assure a return to Augusta National next year. He hit the number on the button, finishing in a tie with Harris English for 12th.
Still, Homa said he didn't take much confidence away from his strong finish amid the azaleas, saying he felt like he did so with 'smoke and mirrors.'
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He has continued to work tirelessly to improve. He worked with a new swing coach, changed his driver and switched his caddie and now feels like he's starting to get things headed in the right direction. Following the Masters, he finished 70th at the RBC Heritage and then tied for 30th last week at the Truist Championship.
'It's been difficult because I felt like I was so broken,' said Homa, who came into the week ranked 78th in the world rankings.
Whatever was broken now appears to be fixed. And Homa is now eyeing what he hopes will be his first major championship win.
That will require some strong play over the next 36 holes — and a little bit of luck, perhaps — but Homa said it helps being on a course where he feels so comfortable. He won the Wells Fargo Championship here in 2019, one of six career victories on the PGA Tour.
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'You come someplace where you know kind of what you're going to do all day on pretty much every pin,' Homa said. 'I think that helps a lot, especially as I started to feel really good, I knew I was going to come in here and swinging it nicely. I just needed to find some comfort. So this place does that for me.'
___
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
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